Cooperative Education: A Sound Strategy Today and an Even Sounder Strategy Tomorrow, 1992 Engineering Conference Proceedings
Demographic experts project that the population of college-age students will continue to shrink over the next two decades. Furthermore, the percentages of minorities in this college-age population, particularly black and Hispanic, will increase.
Technologically based companies will face an increasingly difficult challenge to meet their engineering needs between 1995 and 2020. A sound, well structured cooperative education program can be a company’s best ally in withstanding this manpower crunch.
The emphasis of my remarks will center on co-op program quality. While a structured and well conceived co-op program can do much for a company, a poorly planned and poorly executed program can do harm. Satisfied co-op students serve as their companies’ambassadors. Conversely, a co-op student who feels he is part of an organization that does not conduct its business in a first class manner will likely spread that impression on campus.
Cooperative Education: A Sound Strategy Today and an Even Sounder Strategy Tomorrow, 1992 Engineerin